INDIANAPOLIS – To celebrate the
40th anniversary of NCAA Division II, the NCAA offices
have worked with conference commissioners to produce a
40th Anniversary Tribute Team. Georgia College
basketball alum Dr.Amy (Amundson)
Smith was named as the Peach Belt Conference (PBC)
women’s student-athlete representative.

Dr. Smith serves as a member of the Pediatric
Hematology/Oncology Specialty Section at MD Anderson Cancer Center
Orlando.

“I was fortunate enough to have crossed paths with Amy in
her time as a student-athlete at Georgia College when I came here
as an assistant coach,” said Wendell Staton,
GC Director of Athletics. “Even then, you could see strong
evidence of the balance in her life that the NCAA Division II holds
so dear. She was, and remains a great example of the successes that
can come from hard work. We’re honored to call her an
alum.”

Dr. Smith was a member of GC women’s basketball from
1988-92, the formative years of the PBC, while completing a pre-med
degree in biology. She also held a music minor, focusing on playing
the piano.

“I loved being a student-athlete,” Dr. Smith said.
“The combination for me is what made college fun. I loved
being part of a team; it was like having a ready-made family in
many ways. There is a richness that comes when you are part of a
team, sticking together even when things are tough, appreciating
that everyone on the team is important regardless of what position
they play or how much game time they see.”

Board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, Dr. Smith
received her medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia in
Augusta. She completed an internship and pediatric residency at the
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, where upon
completion, she continued her training by completing a fellowship
in pediatric hematology/oncology and bone marrow transplantation
with special training in pediatric neuro-oncology.

Prior to joining MD Anderson – Orlando, Dr. Smith worked
as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the
University of Florida with a joint appointment to the Department of
Neurosurgery, McKnight Brain Institute.

Dr. Smith has received many honors and awards including the Best
Doctors in America distinction in 2009 and 2010 and the 2010 Royal
Lady award from the Ocala Royal Dames for Cancer Research for her
advocacy on behalf of childhood cancer patients.

Despite the long list of professional success, Dr. Smith was
excited about the NCAA’s honor.

“I am so surprised and yet thrilled to be named for this
honor,” she said. “I feel very grateful that Georgia
College would nominate me and even more privileged to be
chosen.”

Dr. Smith and her husband Keith Smith, also a Georgia College
graduate in business and finance, have been married 17 years and
have an eight-year-old son, Lucas.

Developed through a partnership with the Division II Conference
Commissioners Association, the 40th Anniversary Tribute Team
highlights one male and one female from each of the
division’s 23 current conferences, plus two at-large
nominees. Conferences were asked to submit a list of nominees
representative of Division II’s ideals.

“This group of former student-athletes is meant to reflect
the core values of Division II athletics,” said Josh Looney,
associate director of Division II. “Commissioners have helped
identify a diverse group of championship individuals from Division
II’s 40-year history. Not only did these former
student-athletes act as champions in athletics and in the
classroom, they’ve gone on to live championship lives as
well.

“This group is a true representation of Division
II’s commitment to providing its student-athletes a
‘Life in the Balance’ that extends beyond
athletics.”

Each member of the Division II 40th Anniversary Tribute Team
will receive a commemorative 40th Anniversary gift and will have
their accomplishments profiled through Division II media
channels.

The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of
the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs
at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat
Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the
student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in
post-season competition as well as documented academic success and
community-service involvement. Sign up at
www.twitter.com/BobcatSports and www.facebook.com/gcbobcats for
up-to-the-minute reports, and visit www.GCBobcats.com for more
information, and to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and
Colonials to the GC Athletics Hall of Fame.